As explained in detail in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,101, a wide variety of methods for weighting and balancing golf clubs are known and have been utilized to some extent in an effort to improve the overall performance, control, and handling characteristics of a particular set of golf clubs. One of the more popular and commonly used methods for balancing a particular set of golf clubs is the swing weight method. In simple terms, swing weighting a particular set of golf clubs means bringing all of the clubs in a particular set into the same swinging balance. This means that a driver or a 2 iron, with their long shaft and lighter heads, would have the same swinging balance or feel as one of the shorter irons such as a 7 iron or 9 iron, which irons have a much shorter and heavier club head. In reality, swing weighting measures the imbalance of each golf club and allows all of the clubs in a particular set or grouping to be brought into the same imbalance.
As more fully explained in Elkins, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,242, the generally accepted method for swing weighting a golf club is to place the particular club on a swing weight scale device which statically balances the club at a point which is either twelve (12) inches or fourteen (14) inches from the grip end of the club as best illustrated in FIG. 1. The reference letter "P" in FIG. 1 represents a pivot length of either twelve or fourteen inches measured from the grip end of the club to the fulcrum or pivot point associated with the swing weight scale device. A sliding weight mechanism allows the appropriate amount of weight to be shifted as necessary in order to balance the particular club at the twelve or fourteen inch pivot point. The amount of weight which must be shifted indicates the swing weight value or designation of each particular club.
Swing weight is measured in points. The lightest clubs in a particular set correspond to a swing weight reading in the C range, with numbers ranging from 0 through 9; medium weight clubs in a particular set correspond to a swing weight reading in the D range, with numbers ranging from 0 through 9; and the heaviest clubs in a particular set correspond to a swing weight reading in the E range, with numbers ranging from 0 through 9. The swing weight readings associated with most men's clubs fall within the range of D-0 to D-6 whereas the swing weight readings asociated with most ladies' clubs fall within the range of C-5 to D-0 on a ten-point scale. Swing weight devices utilizing a fourteen inch pivot point are calibrated to a scale known as the "Lorythmic Scale" whereas swing weight devices utilizing the twelve inch pivot point are calibrated to a scale commonly referred to as the "Official Scale". These scale designations correspond to various static moment values measured in ounce-inches in accordance with the following table:
______________________________________ Swing Weight Official Scale Lorythmic Scale Reading (Static Moment) (ounce-inches) ______________________________________ B-0 200 170 B-1 202 172 B-2 204 174 B-3 206 176 B-4 208 178 B-5 210 180 B-6 212 182 B-7 214 184 B-8 216 186 B-9 218 188 C-0 220 190 C-1 222 192 C-2 224 194 C-3 226 196 C-4 228 198 C-5 230 200 C-6 232 202 C-7 234 204 C-8 236 206 C-9 238 208 D-0 240 210 D-1 242 212 D-2 244 214 D-3 246 216 D-4 248 218 D-5 250 220 D-6 252 222 D-7 254 224 D-8 256 226 D-9 258 228 E-0 260 230 E-1 262 232 E-2 264 234 E-3 266 236 E-4 268 238 E-5 270 240 E-6 272 242 E-7 274 244 E-8 276 246 E-9 278 248 ______________________________________
In actuality, golf clubs are never swing weighted in the A-0 to C-4 range of the swing weight scale.
As is well known, all golfers seem to have at least one particular club within any given set which they feel more comfortable with in using and in which they can more accurately control when hitting any particular golf shot. This one particular, preferred golf club is usually one of the shorter irons as proper use and control of the shorter irons are easier to achieve with some degree of regularity as compared to the longer irons and woods. Typically, a set of golf clubs will be swing weighted to a particular swing weight designation using a conventional swing weight scale as briefly explained above. Although swing weighting a particular set of golf clubs can improve a particular golfer's feel, comfortability, control and performance when using such clubs as explained in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,101, all known swing weight balancing methods avoid and/or circumvent the dynamic characteristics of a golf club during a swinging or oscillating motion and all such swing weight methods, in effect, represent a static balancing of such clubs.
On the other hand, although Applicant's method for dynamically balancing golf clubs using radius of gyration as a controlling parameter as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,101 more accurately describes and simulates the dynamic characteristics associated with swinging a particular golf club and more accurately balances such golf clubs based upon both dynamic as well as static characteristics, such method is somewhat more time consuming and tedious to achieve. In an effort to both simplify the overall balancing process and reduce the overall time involved in dynamically balancing golf clubs using radius of gyration as the controlling parameter, Applicant has devised the present compromise method for dynamically balancing golf clubs using radius of gyration as the controlling parameter while still achieving most, if not all, of the benefits and objectives of the dynamic balancing method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,101 including optimizing and improving the overall feel and performance characteristics of a particular set of golf clubs. The present invention utilizes the complete swing weight scale from A-0 to F-0 and correlates important dynamic characteristics of golf clubs such as radius of gyration and moment of inertia to specific swing weight scale designations as explained below.